E. Andreev et al., SELECTION OF CRITERIA AND APPROPRIATE DIS CRIMINATION VALUE IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THE DYSMORPHIC URINARY ERYTHROCYTES, Nieren- und Hochdruckkrankheiten, 24(10), 1995, pp. 549-553
Dysmorphism of urinary red blood cells is increasingly used in the eva
luation of glomerular hematuria. The present study was conducted with
the aim to select criteria and appropriate discrimination value of dys
morphic urinary erythrocytes to aid the clinical management in nephrol
ogical practice. In 184 patients with both glomerular und nonglomerula
r hematuria of various etiology the percentage of only five different
types of dysmorphic urinary erythrocytes (simple ring forms, acantocyt
es, codocytes, knizocytes and stomatocytes) was determined by phase-co
ntrast microscopy. Using the cut-off point of 15% as discrimination va
lue, optimal diagnostic sensivity (94%) and diagnostic specificity (85
%) were reached. In 90% of cases, the microscopic classification of he
maturia as glomerular or nonglomerular was in agreement with the diagn
osis, based on the commonly used clinical, histological, instrumental
and other laboratory procedures.